Paper roll support



Dec. 15, 1959 w. e. M LELLAND 2,917,249

. PAPER ROLL SUPPORT Filed July 19. 1955 INVENTOR. WILL/S 6- Mc Lsumvo 4 TTORNE v.5

United States atent 2,917,249 PAPER ROLL surronr Willis G. MacLellaud, Hastings-ou-Hudson, N.Y.

Application July 19, 1955, Serial No. 522,897

1 Claim. (Cl. 242-552) The present invention relates to supports for rolls of paper, such as paper towels.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a holder or support for a roll of paper towels which has means for preventing a rapid unrolling of the roll when towels are torn on of the roll.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a holder or a support for a roll of disposable towels which has an easily manipulated means for. securing the roll of towels between the arms of the support.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a roll of disposable paper towels, or the like, which is sturdy in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, economically feasible to produce in mass quantities, as well as one having means to accommodate rolls of paper towels having the end openings of slightly different sizes.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view in elevation of the present invention,

Figure 2 is a top viewof the present invention as installed upon a wall,

Figure 3 is an enlarged partial View in cross-section on line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is an end view partially in cross-section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the invention consists of a support having a U- shaped frame with outwardly extending arms 11 and 12 having a pair of sleeves 13 and 14, respectively, secured to their respective end portions.

The bight of the support, indicated by the reference numeral 15, is adapted to be secured to a vertical wall surface by means of the wood screws indicated by the reference numeral 16.

Within each of the sleeves 13 and 14 is positioned one of a pair of plugs 17 and 18, respectively, arranged in end to end relation with respect to the other, each one of the plugs 17 and 18 having an enlarged outer end 19 forming a handle for the plug.

The sleeves 13 and 14 are each provided with a cam means embodying a slot indicated by the reference numeral 20 in which slides a pin 21 projecting outwardly from one side of each of the plugs 17 and 18, respectively.

Each of the plugs 17 and 18 has its end portion opposite to the end forming the handle provided with a taper in order that it would frictionally engage the tube 22 about which is wound the paper towels indicated by the reference numeral 23.

It will be seen that the pin 21 permits the plug 17 or the plug 18 to slidably move within its respective sleeve when the plugs are turned within their sleeves. This sliding movement when the paper roll is rotated serves to drive each of the plugs 17 and 18 further into the tube ICC 22, expanding the ends of the tube 22 as much as possible, and increasing the friction between the end portions 24 of the plugs 17 and 18 with the tube 22.

This frictional engagement prevents a fast unrolling of the roll of paper towels and permits a single sheet to be torn from the roll without the roll rolling freely, as is common in most paper towel holders.

For reloading, either of the handles may be turned to withdraw the plugs outwardly, the plug 17 is moved from its full line position to the dotted line position indicated by the numeral 17 in Figure 3 in the outwardly drawn position.

While it will be seen that the device of the present invention is useful for supporting a roll of paper towels, it may be used for supporting other bodies of tubular shape having a hole at each end into which may be fitted the plugs 17 and 18 which are disposed in end to end relation with respect to each other within the axially aligned sleeves 13 and 14, respectively.

It is intended that the present invention may be constructed from light weight metal, plastic, or the like, and may have other means for supporting it upon a vertical wall surface or on an overhanging surface, such as the bottom side of a cupboard, or the like.

The cam action of the present invention consisting of the sliding movement of the pin 21 within its respective slot 20 provides a means for increasing the friction of a tube held between the arms of the adjacent end portions of the plugs 17 and 18. This permits a braking action to be applied to the rotation of the roll or body held thereon, permitting a single sheet of the paper towel roll to be torn from the rest of the roll without unnecessarily unrolling more of the roll than needed.

While only a single embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, other embodiments and modifications may be made and practiced within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A support for a tubular body having a hole at each end comprising a U-shaped frame having its arms projecting in parallel spaced relation, a pair of sleeves arranged axially with respect to each other and connected one to each of said arms adjacent the free end thereof, a pair of plugs disposed in end to end relation disposed one in each of said sleeves for sliding movement through the respective sleeves toward and away from each other, said plugs being adapted to be received one each in the holes in the ends of a tubular body positioned between said arms for frictional engagement with the portions of said body adjacent said holes when said body is rotated, each of said sleeves being formed with a slot, a pin connected to each one of said plugs slidably in said slot for effecting sliding movement of each of said plugs toward each other when rotated in the respective sleeves in one direction and away from each other when rotated in the other direction, said plugs having their adjacent end portions tapered so as to effect greater frictional engagement with said body when rotated in said one direction so as to brake the rotary movement of said roll While sheets on said roll are being separated therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 515,849 Wheeler Mar. 6, 1894 829,185 Votey Aug. 21, 1906 1,037,988 Richards Sept. 10, 1912 1,147,964 Mellon July 27, 1915 1,153,389 Hudgel Sept. 14, 1915 1,523,491 Rast Jan. 20, 1925 1,859,301 Lamatsch May 24, 1932 1,975,792 Katz Oct. 9, 1934 

